37 killed after passenger bus plunges into ravine in southern Peru

At least 37 people were killed when a passenger bus careened off a highway and fell more than 330 feet into a ravine in southern Peru, according to regional health officials.

The crash happened around midnight on Tuesday in the district of Ocoña, in Camaná province in the Arequipa region. Officials said the bus collided with a pickup truck before veering off the road and plunging into the ravine.

Local officials said rescue teams from the National Police, firefighters, and the Public Ministry worked through the morning to reach victims scattered along the steep terrain.

The bus, operated by the company Llamosas, had departed from the town of Chala in Caravelí province and was traveling toward the city of Arequipa when it went off the roadway at approximately kilometer 780 of the Panamericana Sur highway, according to RPP Noticias.

Initial reports from the Arequipa Regional Health Directorate listed 24 injured passengers, while a later assessment put the number at 25, including three children. Among those injured are an eight-month-old baby, a four-year-old child, and a municipal councilor.

Most of the wounded were taken to the Camaná Hospital, and six were transferred to Arequipa because of the severity of their injuries.

Officials said the driver of the pickup truck tested positive for alcohol, which investigators believe contributed to the collision that preceded the bus’s fall. Authorities have opened a formal investigation to determine the full circumstances of the crash.